If you use a public cloud like Azure, you should look for ways to save money because your bill is based on consumption.
When you find ways to reduce or even adjust your costs and consumption, you can save by switching to the cloud while providing the same or better performance for your systems.
Get the most out of your virtual machines (VMs) in Azure with these 5 tips:
1. Reserved Instances
You know your server is needed for at least 1 year? How about at least 3 years? Microsoft offers good discounts on VM pricing when you pre-purchase the VM for 3 years instead of just 1 year.
Are you worried about having to reinstall the VM? Do not worry, the reservation applies to any VM of this size, and you have the full flexibility to rebuild or reuse the VM for other purposes.
2. Automate Operating Times
How many of your systems are shut down at night or on weekends? Can some of these systems be shut down during this time?
As you pay for the services on an hourly basis, shutting down for only 48 hours for the weekend can cut your costs by more than 25%. Adding at nights can bring an additional 35% discount, significantly reducing overall Azure spend.
Setting these schedules to shut down and restart the VMs in Azure can be completely automated, allowing you to realize the discounts with minimal effort and impact on the IT department.
3. Licensing of Hybrid Use
Have you already purchased Microsoft server or SQL licenses? Many of these licenses can be moved to the Azure cloud to reduce your license costs. The Azure Hybrid Use Benefit (HUB) can save up to 41% of licensing costs, according to Microsoft.
4. Azure B-Series VMs “Burstable”
Do you have systems that perform extensive processing only once a week or once a month? Do you really need to oversize these VMs just to account for this workload?
With the burstable VM series, you can now use normal core systems, but you only pay for a fraction of the cost. Azure provides lower core performance in times when you do not need the systems, and then maximizes them when needed to make sure your applications are running without having to pay for resources you do not need.
5. Azure Site Recovery
Disaster recovery is an important consideration for any VM-based environment. In the past, it has always been necessary to have a complete DR environment with replica servers and their associated resources.
With Azure Site Recovery, you can replicate your VMs to another Azure region, but only pay for the replication software and the storage costs. Just like any other VM shut down in Azure, you do not have to pay for the VM calculation until the server is powered on, which can significantly lower your DR costs.
Aside from the cost savings, these cost-cutting tips can help you reduce the cost of deploying Azure virtual machines in the cloud, and help speed up the agility, scalability, and economic benefits of the cloud for your business.
If you’re looking for a strategic partner to help you find the right solution and capabilities to maximize your cloud savings, contact us to learn more about our cloud acceleration strategy.
Bleuwire™ is a reliable Cloud Service Provider and offers Microsoft Azure solutions across the globe.
